I received an unwelcome call late on Sunday morning, informing me that my aunt had tested positive for COVID after three-and-a-half weeks bouncing in and out of hospitals and sub-acute care facilities.
The facility where she’s being treated has apparently had a small outbreak, and five residents have been affected, including an aunt who has been downright antisocial over the past two-and-a-half years to ensure that her immune-compromised body not encounter anyone who might have been exposed to COVID.
I took a test on Sunday (as I’d spent Saturday with my aunt) and tested negative, and I’ll continue to monitor my situation over the next couple of days…
Because I spent Monday afternoon in full PPE, visiting with a more-than-slightly-pissed-off 80-year-old who feels terrible, but is at least not dealing with the most acute symptoms of a virus that’s making her feel miserable, but nothing worse than that.
The bad news about all of this is that Aunt Annie rather desperately wants to come home ASAP, but we’ve been told that, instead of looking at a Thursday discharge, she’s looking at another 7-10 days’ worth of COVID care after testing positive yesterday, with a couple of healthy rehabilitation days on top of it.
By the time she gets out, it will have been a full month of hospitalization and rehabilitation for her, and she is feeling more miserable about not being discharged to home health care than she is about being sick with COVID right now.
This will affect my blogging abilities as we’re at the point where I feel like my aunt–desperate to get back to what feels like my online home, with my hockey pals–but her condition over the next couple of days will dictate how things eventually unfold.
I’ve just got to take things day by day and shift by shift right now. We’ve been thrown a wrench in our plans, but we’re going to try to roll with the punches.
George, our prayers are with you and your Aunt. I know that feeling of hopelessness and despair. My wife was in a skilled nursing facility for a year. While she was away and I was trying to keep everything going and also visiting her daily .. that’s when I had my heart attack and three cardiac surgeries. Don’t let that happen to you. Take time to take care of yourself! We need you too, my friend.
Thank you, Edd, I know that you have had a hell of a time with the Mrs., and I’ve followed you on Facebook for a long time now, so I know that you’ve been “on the IR” for some scary stints yourself.
I am trying really hard to take care of me. It’s a strange concept to a caregiver, but you learn that you can’t do much if you aren’t functioning!